You know how much I love faux bamboo furniture! My collection includes these Chippendale chairs and this Thomasville dresser-turned-bar cabinet. When I recently acquired an older bookcase, which I chose for its solid wood construction and low price, I noticed it has rounded trim in front and wanted to turn this look from dated to classic by making my own faux bamboo!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Sandpaper
• Rope
• Thin fabric, like muslin
• Wood glue
• Wood filler
• Primer and paint

Here’s how to do it:

• Clean and sand your furniture
• Cut your rope and fabric to the width of the trim
• Mark out the spacing of your trim
• Apply wood glue to the area
• Lay down the segments of rope
• Cover with the fabric and smooth with your fingers or a paint brush. Let dry
• Use wood filler to smooth over seams and uneven areas. Let dry
• Sand, prime and paint

For my bookcase, I decided on an off-white semi-gloss paint for the outside and inner side panels. I used a blue faux grasscloth wallpaper on the back of the bookcase and the shelves. It’s the same wallpaper I used on the back of the bookcase-turned-bar in our rental house dining room.

To be honest, the faux bamboo process ended up taking a lot longer than I thought it would, including going back multiple times to make the trim look more smooth and finished. I found a tutorial where Danika from Gorgeous Shiny Things made faux bamboo using just wood filler, and I’ll probably give that a try next time!

I’m using this shelf in my bedroom as extra storage and and a drop zone to store purses and other closet items. Until we meet again, you know I am going to spend hours looking for another piece with rounded trim that I can experiment on 🙂

Julie AKA “Jewels”